A Tale of a Trillion Years and a Night
by AzamiBlossom
Summary: Years ago, something happened to the personifications of the nations. No one knows what. Six people woke up in hospitals, not having any memories of their pasts. They carry on with their lives, left wondering why. Why don't they have any memories of their pasts? Why don't they age? Why do they keep having dreams or "flashbacks" of people they have never seen or met before? *Hiatus*
1. Violet Eyes

**A/N: Ciao everyone! I've had the idea for this story floating around in my head for the past few weeks. It has slowly been developed in that time. Until recently, it's been nagging at me to be written. Thus, this story was born. **

**Well, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly don't own the pure utter genius that is Hetalia: Axis Powers. I only own the plot and my OC and extra characters featured in the story.**

* * *

"Ugh," she groaned, forcing herself to sit up in bed. "Stupid, freakin', dumb…" she mumbled groggily while she searched for the source of the annoyance.

The young woman death glared the alarm clock in her hands, beeping away to its heart's content. She hit the snooze button and noticed the time. "5:30 a.m.?! Who the heck gets up at this godforsaken hour?!"

Then it dawned at her. She facepalmed. "That would be me."

~*~*(time skip)*~*~

The woman yawned. As you can probably tell, Brenna Matthews wasn't much of a morning person. Or rather it was because she had to repeatedly wake up before the crack of dawn during the week to attend her classes at the local college.

Currently, Brenna sat with her peers as her professor lectured on some historical event. She sipped her third mug of jasmine tea, attempting to stay awake. Brenna had an odd love for the hot beverage along with hot chocolate. She wasn't sure where she got the habit from. But yet still, she drank some kind of tea or chocolate every morning.

"Class dismissed! Remember we'll have a speaker from Germany next week," announced the old professor.

Brenna shut her Toshiba laptop after she saved her notes and put it in her green military messenger bag along with her textbooks. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. She picked up her purse and coffee mug full of tea and exited the room. She sighed as she became deep in thought. Brenna meandered through large crowds of students and went to her next class somewhere on campus. It was amazing that she didn't run into anyone.

~*~*(le awesome friendly time skip)*~*~

"Brenna!" a voice hollered, yet seemed a long distance away at the same time. "Brenna Lynn! Wake up!"

Brenna's kaleidoscope emerald eyes snapped open. "R-Rosaline! I'm sorry! I-"

Rosaline shooed away her companion's response with a dainty hand. "It's fine. No worries."

Rosaline Ford smiled. She, like Brenna, was attending the city's university to get a degree in biology. She planned to continue on to medical school and become a pediatrician. She had dark, tan skin complimented with amber eyes and black hair. She was much shorter than Brenna, even when she wore high heels. She still had to tilt her head a good 25˚ to see her friend's face.

The duo stepped out of Rosaline's Toyota Camry and walked into the popular Italian restaurant they worked at.

Lombardi's was a popular restaurant situated in downtown. It was known for its wonderful, authentic Italian cuisines, soups, breads, and dishes. It was an extravagant restaurant and had some of the finest Italian and French wines. The service was extremely good, with friendly, polite waiters and waitresses who cared for their customers very well. Lombardi's was well-known throughout the region and had been given many awards throughout the years.

Brenna had changed out of her clothes from early—a pair of jeans, a white shirt beneath a blue cardigan and sneakers—into her work uniform. She wore a white long sleeve shirt underneath a black vest. She has a red ribbon threaded underneath the collar of her shirt instead of the usual tie. She had on black trousers and black high heels in a mary-jane style. She wore her dark brown, waist-long hair up in a loose bun, some curls spilling out in the back.

The two young women checked in for their shifts and entered into the large kitchen. The delicious aroma filled the room, making Brenna's mouth water. There were dozens of fresh breads baking in the oven, saucing boiling in pots on the stoves, and many other things were being prepared. Honestly, she loved her job.

"Ciao signorina Matthews [1]!" Chef Alphonso Lombardi greeted Brenna. He was a happy, peaceful man in his mid-fifties, straight from Sicily in Italy. He was dressed in a white chef's uniform and wore an apron. He had dark hair, blended with gray, and had a goatee.

Brenna grinned. "Hello Mr. Lombardi. How can I be of service?"

Lombardi laughed. "Molto buono! Molto buono! [2] Come with me, please~!"

The old Italian led the American out of the kitchen and into the dining area. He turned to the woman beside him. "Brenna, mia cara [3], a new waiter is starting tonight and as the brilliant waitress you are, I would like you to show him around. Take him under your wing, if you will."

"All right, Mr. Lombardi," she responded.

After further instruction for the evening from her employer, Brenna continued to help with the preparation for the opening that Friday night. At five o'clock Katy Banks placed the _Open_ sign up near the front entrance. Jared Duncan, one of the young chefs who worked alongside Lombardi, unlocked the door as customers began to pour in.

Brenna stood off to the side, waiting patiently. Her employer had given her strict instructions to wait for the new waiter.

"Sorella [4]!" called little Adele Lombardi.

Brenna beamed. Adele was Lombardi's granddaughter. With burgundy locks and sweet yet always curious amber eyes, she was almost the cutest thing in the world. Right up there next to puppies, bunnies, and the cute boy next door.

The four-year-old Italian ran up to the American, her pink dress billowing about her. Brenna opened up her arms and swooped Adele up into her arms. She wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I missed you Adele~."

"I missed you oh so very much, Brenna!" Adele giggled, mispronouncing her _r's _as _w's_.

"Nonno [5] told me to come find you," the young girl continued. "He says that the new waiter's here."

"All right," Brenna nodded. She set down Adele and sauntered over to the kitchen. _I wonder what he's like? _She questioned. _I hope he's not a bad person…And I really hope I make a good impression. It wouldn't be very good otherwise._

She was too deep in thought to notice the man in front of her. He didn't see her either. Then, the two collided.

"Ow," the duo moaned in unison.

Brenna held her forehead in one hand and opened her eyes. The man was tall with a lanky, yet muscular build. He wore a long sleeve white button up shirt under a black vest with a red tie. He had on black pants and a pair of black sneakers. He had a mop of shaggy, wavy blond hair with a lone, run-amuck curl hanging off to the side of his head.

The man rubbed his jaw. "Well that hurt, eh?" He asked quietly and looked up to see Brenna.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. She blinked when she noticed his eyes. They were hidden behind a pair of half-rimmed glasses. Brenna was stunned; they seemed so familiar. The odd thing, though, was the color. Violet with a hint of blue.

* * *

**I used a lot of Italian in this chapter, so here are the translations:**

**[1] _Ciao signorina Matthews _means "Hello miss Matthews" **

**[2] _Molto buono! Molto buono! _translates to "Very good! Very good!"**

**[3] _mia cara _means "my dear"**

**[4] _sorella_ means "sister"**

**[5] _Nonno _translates to "Grandfather"**

**If there are any mistakes in the Italian or grammatical errors, please, feel free to let me know! I'd be happy to change them and so I can improve better as a writer.**

**Any ideas as to who the mysterious new character is? PM me or put your guess in a review! **

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	2. Forever Young

**A/N: Bonjour! Ou bon après-midi! Ou bonsoir... (Good morning! Or good afternoon! Or good evening...) Well, whatever time of day it is where you are, this is the next chapter of my story "****_A Tale of Trillion Years and a Night"._**** I've been cranking this chapter of in my free time when I can. I'm really excited about this so far.**

**So, without further ado, here's the next chapter! Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Only my OC, any extra characters, and the plot.******

* * *

Emerald eyes. That's what he saw when he looked up. _Why do they seem so vividly familiar…? _He thought.

The two held each other's gazes for another moment. The young woman dropped her head slightly and stared at the floor.

She had curly dark brown hair pulled up into a loose bun, with a part off center with bangs swept to the right with a few hairclips on both sides. She was tall with a slender build and appeared to be in her early twenties, about 21 or 22. She wore basically the same uniform of a white long sleeve shirt, black vest and trousers, black shoes, and a black apron like the rest of the waitresses and waiters. Instead of the usual tie she had a red ribbon tied underneath the collar of her shirt.

The young man stood up a bit and regained his posture. He extended a hand. "I'm sorry I bumped into you," he began. "My name's Lucas Howe."

The young woman took Lucas's hand and he pulled her up. "No it's my fault, I apologize," she said. "I'm Brenna Matthews. You're the new waiter I take it?

Lucas laughed. "Yeah. I actually came out here to find you. Mr.—uh what's his name?—"

"Lombardi," Brenna offered.

"Yep! Him! He explained to me the guidelines and procedures here. He's quite the pleasurable person, eh, Brenna?"

"Yep!" She agreed. "That's the one and only!"

For the rest of the evening, the duo worked on doing their assigned duties. Brenna drilled Lucas on how to get through the maze that was the seating in the shortest amount of time to the tables he was in charge of. Brenna assisted him in serving the entrees and carrying the platters of food to the customers. Lucas worked on remembering and taking the customers' orders and giving them to the chefs in the kitchen.

At about 6:30 p.m., Lucas and Brenna were able to take a well-needed break and rest for a while. The two walked through the back hallway.

"Is it usually this busy? Lucas inquired, turning to look at his newly appointed mentor.

"Nope," Brenna sighed. "This is one of the restaurant's days when it's not as busy."

Lucas deadpanned. "Oh. Wonderful…"

Brenna laughed, seeing his expression. "Come on."

Lucas smiled a little and rolled his eyes and followed. "I'm going to go get my dinner. I'm starving."

Brenna nodded and left to go get hers as well. Lucas walked into the back room. The walls were painted a welcoming shade of light brown. One wall was lined with lockers that held the employees' belongings. To the left was a small kitchenette, featuring a full-size stainless steel refrigerator, microwave situated above an oven, a sink and plenty of counter space with oak cabinets. To the right was a large window decorated with green drapes. In the middle of the room was a large oak table with matching chairs with a green tablecloth.

Lucas walked across the wood floor to the lockers. He located his, undid the lock, and opened. He pulled out the cooler that held his dinner and redid the lock on the locker. The young man threw his meal into the microwave on a plate and waited for his leftovers.

Five minutes later, Lucas sat down with his plate of homemade pancakes smothered in butter and pure maple syrup with Canadian bacon on the side. He took in a deep breathe, taking in a the wonderful aroma. Lucas had had quite a love for pancakes for as long as he could remember. And he was quite good at making them too.

Lucas frowned as he dug into his meal. The fact that he couldn't remember anything before more than 20 years, give or take, always bothered him. He had recently moved to the city because of an important, dangerous secret he had been keeping for years: He couldn't age.

He was stuck with having the appearance of a 19-year-old for his whole life. Or what he could remember of it at least. Because of it, he had to keep moving from city to city, town to town, state to state, province to province. When Lucas had woken up in the hospital in Vancouver, Canada, he couldn't remember a single thing. Not even his own name.

So he had made different identities for himself and worked and lived like anyone else.

"And now, coming here," Lucas thought aloud, "something finally feels right again."

~*~*(le random time skip)*~*~

The Canadian yawned. Lucas had just returned to his room that he was staying in at the city's Radisson hotel from work.

"Whew," he said, "that was a long day."

He locked the door behind him and took off his shoes. He sauntered over to the desk on the other side of the bed and sat down his bag. Lucas went over to the small closet and found an old gray T-shirt with a picture of Big Ben on it from when he visited London and a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. After changing into them, he lounged around on his bed and watched TV for a while.

Eventually, he didn't know when, but sleep over came him.

~*~*(another random time skip)*~*~

"Yo dude!" hollered the young man in front of him. "You ready bro?"

"Ready, eh," Lucas replied, a determined glint in his eye. He held up his baseball mitt.

The young man facing Lucas seemed to about 19. He was quite tall, about an inch or so more than Lucas himself, with a lanky, yet strong build. He had shaggy blond hair with a cowlick complimented with sky blue eyes behind a pair of half-rimmed glasses, similar to Lucas's own pair. He wore a light blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of jeans and sneakers. In his left hand was a baseball mitt and a baseball in his right.

"Okay." Blue-Eyes smiled a cocky grin. He pitched it. Hard and fast.

The ball collided with Lucas's face. "Ow!" he moaned. "Do you think you could throw it a little softer?"

"You want me to through it like France?" Blue-Eyes asked.

"Yeah. Please."

He shrugged. "Okay." He threw it again.

This time the ball hit poor Lucas in the chest. His companion snickered.

"Sorry dude!" he apologized.

It continued like this for quite some time. Blue-Eyes pitched the ball and Lucas got hit in the head, the arm, a leg, the face, and some other places that will remain unmentioned.

"It's not funny!" Lucas exclaimed (which sounded like more like a normal voice that someone would use to converse with people). "Why don't you try to more calm and less…well…"

Blue-Eyes laughed and rolled his eyes. "Dude, I'm pretty sure I don't drag myself around as much as you do."

Lucas stormed up to him and began pounding on his companion's shoulder. Blue-Eyes just laughed and shrugged it off.

"I was taught the true meaning of the maple leaf!" Lucas cried.

Blue-Eyes laughed, brushing him off with a wave of his hand. "Dude, you're teacher sounds weird!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope to have the next update out soon! Until then!**

**Please review.**


	3. A Cup of Tea

**A/N: Hei kaikille! In the words of our Finnish friend: "Hello everyone!" Thank you all so much! Especially those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! As you can probably tell, I'm super excited about this new update. Heck, I'm excited about this story! **

**I've been writing this story when I find the time, as the ideas just keep coming. I'll try to have the next chapter up sometime within the next week. I hope. I'll see what I can do because school has been a pain lately.**

**And if any of you are confused, everything will make sense eventually. Oh! One more thing: the design for the uniform Brenna wears is largely based off of the Irish Army during the time of World War II...You'll know what I mean in a minute.**

**Anyways, without further ado, here it is! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the pure utter genius of Hetalia. I own my OC Brenna Matthews, any extra characters, and the plot.**

* * *

"Arthur!" Brenna called. "Allister! Daryn! Niall!"

She sighed, and stared down at the snow- encrusted ground. It was still light out; she could barely see the setting sun through the tree tops of the forest. The trees were dormant for the long winter, frost making the braches an intricate pattern of white.

She crossed hers arms in an attempt to keep warm, snuggling deeper into her tan coat. Brenna continued trudging through the snow. For some reason, Brenna was dressed in a green military uniform beneath her coat. She wore a white button up shirt underneath a dark green long sleeve military jacket adorned with brass buttons and darker green stripes at the end of the sleeves. A dark leather belt was across her mid-section, a section of it going over her shoulder. She wore pants of the same shade of green as the jacket that were tucked into a pair of brown combat boots. She carried a pistol in a holster at her side and a rifle hooked onto a sling across her back. A pack was slung over her shoulder over her coat filled with ammunition, a makeshift first-aid kit, and other supplies. Brenna also wore a pair of gloves and an Irish Army officer's hat. Around her neck was a necklace of sorts hidden behind a scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Why does it have to be so bloody cold?" Brenna muttered in a foreign accent that she normally didn't speak in. "I wish had a mug of nice, warm tea. But instead my boss sent me here to make some negotiations with my brothers."

What confused Brenna was this fact: She didn't have any family. None that she could remember at least. For as long as she could remember, which was quite some time, Brenna couldn't recall any family members or friends. _When I woke up in the hospital at Notre Dame, Indiana, I couldn't recall anything_, she thought, continuing to weave through the maze of the forest. _No one to claim me or came looking for me. All I had in my possession when I emitted from the hospital was a purse, a broken cell phone, a set of hairclips, a suitcase of some extra clothing, and some money from the doctor that had treated me._

Brenna perked up as she heard a stick break from somewhere nearby. She quickly grabbed her rifle from behind and cocked it, ready to fire it if needed. "Who's there?!"

There was no response. She moved her head, trying to sense if anything or anyone was there. Brenna heard snow being crushed underfoot and movement. She gritted her teeth. "Who is here?! I'm not afraid of you."

There was still no response. "I know you're here. I'm armed. I do not want to have to use my weapon."

"Wah~! I don't wanna die!" someone cried out in English with an Italian accent. Said person suddenly burst out of the thicket into the clearing that Brenna was in. He was a young man, about 20-years-old, with auburn hair with a gravity-defying curl off to the right of his head. He wore a black overcoat with a blue Italian officer's uniform underneath and brown combat boots. The odd thing, though, was that she couldn't make out the details of his face very well. And he was waving around a white flag, too._ A strange character indeed_, Brenna pondered.

Brenna sighed in relief. "Feliciano! What a sight for sore eyes." She lowered her gun.

"C-Ciara!" The Italian straightened out into his full height, about a couple of inches or less more than Brenna, and lowered his flag and shoved it into his belt. "Ve~, I-I didn't know you would be here. I haven't seen you since—"

Brenna held up a gloved hand. "Don't worry about it, lad." She smiled warmly. "Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

"Ve~!" Feliciano beamed. "Si! I'd love to!"

~*~*(another wonderful time skip)*~*~

Brenna blinked. Two pairs of eyes stared back at her: ice blue and amber. "Matryoska" sung by Miku Hatsune and Gumi Megpoid rang out through the large bedroom.

She sat up, brushing a hand through her curly dark brown hair, her two dogs moving away from her face onto her lap. She tiredly peered around her room. Brenna wasn't having two tea with an overly hyper and scared Italian who said "ve~" often and carried around a random white flag. She was sitting in her comfy bed with her two hyper canines that were now almost fully awake and would soon want to play. She wasn't wearing an old military uniform, but a pair of blue and white pajama pants and a T-shirt. And it sure wasn't winter either. It was currently fall.

Brenna reached over to the side table to find her iPhone still blaring "Matryoska". She sighed as she saw that she had the alarm clock set up still that she had used the day before for an extra measure to insure she would get up on time for her classes. She dismissed it and shut off her phone. She placed it back on the side table and pulled her dogs off her lap and laid down. Her two dogs, a young female husky puppy by the name of Kikyo and a two-year-old Irish setter with the name Tara, snuggled up next to her.

Brenna didn't care if the world was ending at the moment. All Brenna desired to do was to go back to sleep. And sleep she did.

What the young American didn't notice while she drifted off was a dark silhouette lingering in the shadows. It strode up to the side of her bed and tenderly dropped something into Brenna's open palm.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! How did you like it? Was it good? Bad? Please let me know in a review.**


	4. New Town, New Place

**A/N: Futatabi kon'nichiwa! Hello again! Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu! Thank you all so much for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. I've been working so hard on getting this story moving along.**

**As you can see, the new chapter is up and I'm currently working on the next chapter. I'll get it out as soon as I can.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. I only own my OC, the extra characters, and the plot.**

* * *

"Ugh," the young man groaned in frustration. He rubbed his temples, partially due to an oncoming headache and because of something he couldn't just get out of his mind.

His companion glanced up from the menu at the café the duo was currently at. "What's bothering you, Nico?"

"Nothing," he grumbled. He opened his eyes, brilliant hazel meeting a deep chocolate brown.

The shorter Asian man seated across from Nico placed his menu down. "I know that isn't the truth. Now what is bothering you so much?"  
Nico sighed and sat up straighter. He was a young man, about 22-years-old, possessing an average height and a lanky build. He had auburn hair, complimented with hazel eyes with a light tan. He had a large, gravity-defying curl that loomed off to left in the air above his head. He wore a red short sleeve shirt underneath a gray jack that had the sleeves rolled up. He had on a pair of dark-colored jeans with a black belt and green sneakers. Nico also wore a simple cross necklace he had strangely obtained recently.

"It was that dream again," Nico finally said. "But a little different this time."

He quickly realized that he had slipped into that annoying Italian accent that had been plaguing him since the bizarre dreams began occurring for the past month and a half. In them, there would be multiple strange individuals that would appear. Sometimes they would order him around like a servant or he would end up standing up for this young girl in the green dress with the odd curl like his.

The young Asian leaned forward with interest. He was a man in his early twenties, eh, perhaps somewhere between 20 and 23. He was shorter than Nico by a couple inches with a lean build. He had a pale complexion and almost emotionless chocolate brown eyes. He had short black hair that was a little shorter in the front, framing his face. He wore a simple white shirt beneath a navy blue jacket, jeans, and a pair of black combat boots. "Hm…Do you mean the one with the strange character with the face you can never fully make out?"

"Which one? I've been having dreams like this for a while now," Nico said. "There's been quite a lot of them."

"The one the keeps reoccurring often."

"Yeah, Yuki," Nico replied. "That one that seems to have an odd obsession with pasta and says 've~' a lot."

Yuki sighed. "I feel as if I've been troubled by the same thing as you. I've been having dreams, too."

"I already knew that," Nico rolled his eyes.

"I mean I've been having them more frequently," Yuki explained. "And I can see you're still having problems with your new," he paused, searching for a word, "_irregular_ accent."

Nico scoffed. "Oh shut up."

~*~*(Saturday, late November, 201X; around 4:30 p.m.)*~*~

Nico stopped mid-bite. "What?"

Yuki blinked and checked to see if the stoplight had turned green yet.

"Is there something wrong with me eating a tomato?" Nico inquired again, annoyed.

The light turned green. Yuki pressed on the gas pedal of their vehicle. "No. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Then what is it?!"

"Nothing. I was just thinking is all." Yuki turned on the turning signal and turned into another lane.

"About what?" Nico took another bite out of his tomato. He hunkered down into the passenger seat and tilted his scarlet fedora over his eyes.

Yuki turned on the turning signal again and stopped the car in lane behind a pickup truck. He glanced over at Nico. "Nothing really. Just minor things."

"Such as?"

"I was just wondering what this new city has for us. What kinds of people we will meet. What we might do while we are here."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and find out. At least we found a place to live."

Yuki smiled slightly and turned onto a new street. "True. For an old building, it's quite nice."

Nico nodded. The two Americans continued discussing throughout the remainder of the ride. When the traffic started getting backed up about 20 minutes later, Nico cussed out the poor drivers that were in front of them. Yuki would attempt to get him to calm down, but it would all be in vain. With having the experience of knowing his companion for so long, it never really worked.

The young auburn-headed man glared at nothing in particular, his arms crossed over his chest. "I hate traffic like this."

"At least we aren't in New York City," Yuki stated.

Nico rolled his eyes and sat up straighter. "Don't get me started on rush hour there. I never liked living in that place."

Yuki smirked at his friend's remark. "Here we are."

The blue Ford F-150 pulled up to a large, old building. It once was an old, grand hotel back in its heyday, a long time ago. It had been set to be abolished, but a group of people had chipped in and renovated it. It was currently a multiply-purpose building. There were meeting and reception rooms. It had an auditorium for the drama productions that it sponsored over the summers. Some of the old hotel suites had been renovated into some apartments that people were able to rent for an affordable price.

The exterior of the building was remodeled to be like its former glory. It was built with a combination of stone and brick and had columns in between the windows and holding up the arch that held the main entryway. Inside, the walls were painted a hospitable beige, accented with a scarlet red. To the right was the main desk where visitors could check in and ask for any information. There was a seating area with a classic sofa, love seat, and two chairs situated in front of a fireplace around a coffee table. In the center was the original staircase in its entire splendor.

Yuki parked the car in an open spot near the front door. The two Americans stepped out of the vehicle and entered the building.

Nico glanced around. "Wow. This _is_ a nice place. It allows for pets like you cat Tama and dog Pochi. _Plus_, it has an affordable rent."

"Indeed it does," Yuki said, turning around to have a better look.

Someone yawned. "What can I do for you two gentlemen?"

Nico spun around to see a middle-aged woman seated at the front desk. She possessed a dark complexion and black hair pulled back into a bun and wore an orange and brown business suit.

"Oh excuse me, ma'am," Yuki said. "We're here to get the keys to one of the rooms that are up for rent."

"Oh," the woman, Ms. Kane, began. "You must be Mr. Wright and Mr. Giordano, I assume."

"Yes," Nico replied. "That's us."

"One moment please," Ms. Kane said. She commenced typing on the computer at the desk. "I'll need you two to fill out some forms and answer some questions for me."

After responding to some inquiries and filling out some forms and papers for almost an hour, the two Americans were finally given the keys to their apartment.

"Grazie," Nico said as he took the set of keys from her.

The woman raised an eyebrow, but just let it go. She stood up, "Well, I better be going, sirs. My shift is over now."

"Thank you, Ms. Kane," the two men said.

She smiled and sauntered over to the door. "I wish you two luck. I hope you enjoy yourselves." She stopped and glanced back. "Welcome to Berea."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! How'd you like it? Was it okay? Good? Bad? Terrible? Please review so I can improve.**

**One more thing, the city I've been talking about where everything is taking place so far is called Berea. It's a fictional city that I came up with that's located in Oregon in the United States. It has a population of about 150,000, give or take.**

**Thanks again!**


	5. A Sense of Déjà Vu

**A/N: Merry Christmas! I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating for the past few weeks! School has been a pain in the arse lately. Especially with Finals just around the corner; I'm going to studying a whole heck of a lot. But I'll try to post a few more chapters when I can! **

**Anyways! I'd really like to thank my friend Ameriko-chan for helping with brainstorming and my other friends sam-makes-pancakes and OMGLIKETOTALLY for their ongoing support. Please go check out their fanfics! They're awesome writers! **

**I'd also love to thank all of the people who've been keeping up with this story. Thank you so much for your follows, reviews, and favorites! It really makes my day. :3**

**And, without further ado, here's Chapter 5! Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer: **_**Hetalia belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. I only own my OC Brenna Matthews, the extra characters, the fictional town of Berea, and the plot.**

_**Warning: **_**There's some colorful language provided by a certain character that we all know and love in this chapter.**

* * *

Yuki glanced over at the unorganized stack of envelopes looming over at their perch on the desk in the spare bedroom (which was currently being used as an office area), waiting to be looked through and filed.

_Don't think about it! _He scolded himself. He turned back to his task of doing the dishes in the small kitchen in the apartment he shared with his friend.

The daunting presence of the envelopes called to him. _We need to be paid~. We need to be paid~. _They chanted repeatedly.

Yuki glared at the pile and sighed. The money that he and Nico were able the pull together was only enough to make ends meet for a few months and to pay the **_absurd bills_**. The young man's eyes narrowed in frustration.

"I've had enough," he uttered to himself. "I need to take care of this."

Yuki quickly finished the dishes and scribbled out a note for his room, who was presently napping in his bedroom, telling him where he went.

~*~*(four hours later, around 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, early December, 201X)*~*~

The young American's shoulders slumped. Yuki had been scavenging the area to see if any of the stores or restaurants were hiring new employees. And so far he was having—

"No luck," he muttered in a newly acquired, thick Japanese accent. He wasn't very proud of how he almost mispronounced every _l _as an _r _when he spoke with it. He found himself slipping into it more and more often within the past couple of week that he has had it.

Yuki continued strolling through Downtown Berea. The area wasn't as it normally was during the weekends. People milled about on the sidewalks, wearing their winter coats, hats and gloves over their clothing, as winter had set in. Cars drove past heading to their different destinations. Snow lightly fell from the sky, covering the ground.

"_Sa-mu-rai!" _his iPhone sang. "_Hara gire kisama!"_

Yuki sighed. Nico had been calling him for the past hour. About every five minutes.

He took his phone out of a pocket of his warm coat and answered.

"You bastard!" Yuki held the phone away from his poor ear. "Where the hell have you been, dammit?!"

"Hello to you too, Nico," Yuki exhaled.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Nico repeated, aggravated, from the other line.

"I left you a note."

"I know that! I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past fucking hour! And you never answered!"

"Nico, I'm fine. I've been trying to find a job so we can stay in our apartment and have an income. Please calm down…"

Nico sighed, regaining control of his temper. "Where are you now?"

Yuki looked around. "I'm on Broadway. I'm actually heading to an Italian restaurant on Main Street that I heard is quite popular. Perhaps we could meet up there?"

"Alright. I see you there soon."

~*~*(20 minutes later)*~*~

The two Americans sat in the waiting area of Lombardi's. It was a grand, extravagant place. It was decorated simply, but it was done quite tastefully. The tables were made of oak along with matching chairs with intricately decorated backs carved with flowers. The walls were painted a light maroon accented with green and white. The majority of the floors were oak and the rest was a nice tile that resembled stone. The tables were covered with green and white table clothes and the silverware, glasses, and plates were set out as if you were eating at an exceptionally fancy gala of some sort.

"Oi. It's really nice here," Nico said, looking around at his surroundings.

"Yes, it is," Yuki replied.

"Wright, party for two," called the waiter at the front desk. The duo stood up and followed him as he led them to their table.

"Here you are. Your server will be with you shortly." The waiter left Yuki and Nico.

The two made small talk, discussing Yuki's findings and what they planned to do now that they were here.

"Excuse me," said a tall man with wavy blond hair with an odd curl (similar to Nico's a bit). He was dressed in the uniform that the other staff was dressed in and had a notepad, pencil, and two menus in hand. "My name is Lucas and I'll be your server tonight."

He smiled and handed Yuki and Nico their menus. Yuki returned the smile. "Arigatō."

Something flashed across the black-haired man's mind. A vague image of a man of the same stature and appearance as his server showed. The man wore a brown business suit and held something like a small polar bear in his arms. The strange thing was that he was smiling. And it was the exact same smile that Yuki had just received from Lucas a moment ago.

"What can I get you gentlemen to start?" Lucas asked, taking out his notepad and pencil. "We have fine Italian and French wines, beer—if you have an ID shown of course—Coke products, Italian soda."

"I think I'll have an Italian soda," Nico replied.

"What flavor? We have cherry, vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, orange, chocolate."

"Hm..." the chestnut-brunette thought for a moment. "I'll take the vanilla."

"What can I get you sir?" Lucas asked, turning his attention to Yuki.

"U-Um," Yuki started, regaining his composure. "I'll have what he's having."

"Okay, I'll come back soon with you drinks." Lucas said and left.

~*~*(30 minutes later)*~*~

"...uki! Oi! Yuki!" Yuki was pulled away from his thoughts.

"Y-Yes?" he blinked and stared at Nico.

"Are you alright?" Nico raised an eyebrow in the special way of his to show concern. "You seem to have been out of it since we came here."

"I'm fine Nico," Yuki lied. _Of course not! _the American shouted in his mind. _I keep having visions of people I don't even recall meeting since I woke up in the hospital! Every time I fall asleep, I have dreams with some of the same strange characters recurring over and over. And on top of that I have this Japanese accent I keep speaking with! _

Nico rolled his eyes. "Do you seriously expect be to believe that bull-"

"Excuse me," Lucas smiled apologetically, his violet eyes gleamed from behind his half-framed glasses. "I'm sorry if I was interrupting anything."

"No, no," Yuki replied. "It's quite alright. It wasn't very important."

Nico scowled slightly at Yuki. _We'll finish this conversation later_, Yuki figured that was what it meant.

"Oh good," the blond breathed with relief. "Anyways, tiramisu will be out soon. I apologize for the wait. We've been a little busy tonight."

"That's quite alright," Yuki replied. "Thank you for telling us."

"No problem. Thanks for your patience."

A few minutes later, a waitress with dark brown curly hair waltzed over to the table. In hand, she skillfully carried a serving platter with two plates with a large piece of the Italian dessert placed on each, drizzled with chocolate in an elaborate pattern with some whipped cream on top.

"Sorry you had to wait so long," the brunette said. "My boss can be a bit of a perfectionist at times."

"Don't worry about it," Nico stated, seeing her with the same expression that Lucas had earlier.

She sighed with relief and smiled. "Well, here you go." she said and placed a plate in front of each of the customers sitting at the table.

"Thank you," Yuki and Nico replied in unison.

"You're welcome," the waitress said. "Let me or Lucas know if there is anything we can do for you."

"Thanks," Yuki replied. "We will if we need to."

"Well, then I'll leave you two to eat. Enjoy~!" she turned to leave. "My name is Brenna, by the way."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Brenna. My name is Yuki Wright and this-" Yuki gestured to Nico "-is my friend Nico Giordano."

"Hey," Nico nodded. "Thanks."

"Well, it was nice meeting you two. Perhaps I'll see you around sometime." Brenna grinned and left the two other Americans to finish their meal.

A while later, Nico and Yuki paid their bill and left Lombardi's to return back to their apartment. For the remainder of the evening, a single thought lingered around Yuki's mind with a tinge of déjà vu.

_Who are those two people? Where have I seen them before?_

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! Was it good? Bad? Okay? Please let me know what you thought in a review!**

**Any guesses as to what the tune is for Yuki's ringtone? Leave your guess in a review!**

**Stay awesome!**


	6. It's Just the Beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I own my OC Brenna Matthews and the plot (and the town of Berea).**

_**Warning: This chapter contains colorful language provided by one of the lovely characters of Hetalia we all know and love. It also contains some violence at the end.**_

* * *

It was in the early hours of the day, the sun just beginning to peak out lazily from its slumber behind the snow-laden landscape, shedding a light haze across the seemingly barren land and dormant trees. The beautiful song of birds commenced to reach across the area, signaling a new day had begun.

Across the town of Berea, people still slept, or began to stir from their slumber due to their lovely alarm clocks, fellow family members, or a pet. In the heart of the old city, outside of the Old McClintock Center ((A/N: It's that old hotel that had been renovated that I mentioned back in Chapter 4, where Yuki and Nico live.)), a lone silhouette loitered in the shadows of the building.

"It was so long ago," a once usually cheerful and optimistic voice rang out sorrowfully in the cool, early morning air. "I can barely remember much of what happened all those many years ago."

It straightened up to its full height from leaning against the cold brick in the small alley. It exited the small backstreet and ambled down the sidewalk, being sure to stay out of the light. The individual paused and noticed a small puddle of melted snow. It bent down and leaned its head over it, still trying to avoid direct contact with the small rays of sunshine. Peering back at the silhouette was the face of a young man in his early twenties. He had wild, short blond hair and fair skin. Sapphire eyes stared back at the individual, lacking their usual jaunty and joyful fire. From what he (the shadow/individual) could also tell, he wore a scarlet button-down shirt beneath a black jacket. He rose and continued walking a few steps farther until he slumped against the face of the building once again.

"It seems strange how after all these years, I still can't seem to remember much," he uttered. "No matter how hard I try to search for answers as to how I got like this or what happened to the others, I'm still stuck with millions of questions. Anytime I think I've found something, it seems I'm left with a thousand more."

He stared up at the sky, noting that his time was almost up for the time being. "But, something feels as if I'll be able to get help in my quest soon and I'll finally have some of my questions answered. Everything is coming together."

He stared down at his hands. "I just hope that they remember everything they need to before it's too late." He looked up to the horizon again; the sun's rays have finally made contact with him.

"Please," he pleaded in a strained voice. "Please hurry and remember everything. I'm fading more and more every day. Soon there will nothing left of us but memories past. Please, come and find us…before...it's too...late..."

Within seconds, no one was there. The only remnants that showed that anyone was there was a warm, fallen tear, embedded in the snow.

~*~*(Saturday, around 10:00 a.m.)*~*~

"Maple," Lucas Howe sighed, closing his vibrant violet eyes. He leaned against a maroon-painted wall.

"Had a lot on your plate this week, Lucas?"

The Canadian glanced up, or rather down, and saw Rosaline Ford in all of her splendor and shortness. For those of you wondering, she's about 5' 2" ((A/N: I'm so sorry if I offended anyone by the previous comments! I absolutely didn't mean to!)) when she isn't wearing heels. Many of her friends, including Brenna and Lucas, are several inches taller than she is. Moving on...

The young man nodded in response. "You don't know the half of it. Brenna's spent nights on end studying for a few upcoming tests in some of her classes. I've been helping her with her history lessons and she has Band practice almost every morning during the week. On top of that, Kikyo broke her leg and she's been real antsy about it. I swear she hates us for making her wear that cast and she hates the medication we have to give her, too."

"Jeez, sounds like quite a handful," Rosaline said.

"Yep," he agreed. "Since she was so stressed, I let her sleep in for a while and told Mr. Lombardi that she'd be here later."

"Oh, so that's why she's not here like she usually is before opening."

"Rosaline! I need your help for a moment!" another employee called.

"Okay! Coming! See you later, Lucas," Rosaline said before she dashed off to help.

The young man smiled, jammed his hands in the pockets of is black trousers, and sauntered over to the kitchen. He opened the door and was greeted by a strong whiff of exotic spices, basil, sage, oregano, fresh parsley, rosemary, and nutmeg. Several chefs were spread out throughout the kitchen preparing a variety of many dishes for the day. Nico Giordano worked on a nearby counter rolling out dough to make loaves of bread. The brunette wore a white double-breasted jacket with the sleeves rolled up so he could work better, along with a pair of black trousers, black shoes, and a white apron.

Lucas smiled in spite of himself when he noticed the American was practically covered from head to toe in flour. He walked over to see if he could help with anything.

"Huh? Well, you can help me finish making some of these loaves, if you want," Nico replied. He looked down at himself. "Dammit, I hate being covered in flour and yeast."

Lucas laughed.

"What are you looking at, idiota. You're not the one covered in this crap."

"True," Lucas responded, smiling triumphantly .

Nico rolled his eyes. "Wipe that smirk off your face."

"What smirk?"

Nico rolled his eyes and dug one of his olive hands into the petite pile of flour beside him and threw it the man beside him. All over his face and hair.

Lucas coughed a little. "What was that for, eh?"

Nico smirked back. "You said that you weren't the one covered in any flour, so I thought I would spread the wonderful 'joy' it brings to you!"

He deadpanned and took off his glasses so he could at least see somewhat. "Well thank you for being so generous!"

"You're welcome."

Lucas grabbed a handful of flour (after he quickly cleaned off his glasses and put them in his pocket) and threw it back at Nico. Said man collected more ammo and returned fire.

This means war.

~*~*(about 15-20 minutes later)*~*~

"What the heck are you three doing?"

Lucas, Nico, and Yuki Wright whipped around to face a glaring, half-awake Brenna Matthews. "Uh..."

Brenna took a double take. "Bloody hell! Why are you all covered in flour? You look like ghosts out of one of those Scooby-Doo cartoons from the 1970s."

Lucas winced slightly under his roommate/friend's scrutiny. "I-It's a long story."

The girl sighed. "Whatever, you can tell me later when we go back home." She made a shooing gesture with her hands. "Now hurry up and go get yourselves cleaned up. We're opening up in a few minutes."

"W-What?!" The men in front of her dashed out of the kitchen towards the nearest restroom as if the devil himself were on their tails.

Brenna crossed her arms in triumph and smiled in spite of herself. She loved her job.

~*~*(a little after 7:00 p.m.)*~*~

"Jeez, where did you learn to bowl like that, Lucas?" Yuki asked.

The blond smiled. "Just picked it up over the years, I guess."

It was late at night, a light snow was falling over the city. Nico, Lucas, Yuki, and Brenna had decided to go out to eat at a nearby diner before heading back to their apartments in the Old McClintock Center (Yes, they are neighbors, as a matter of fact.) and somehow went to the bowling place a few blocks away. They had played a few games, Lucas winning around half. Currently, the group was heading back to Lombardi's where they had left their cars.

"'Over the years' my ass!" Nico said. "I'm pretty if they held bowling for an Olympic event you'd get a gold or silver medal!"

He blushed. "Thanks."

He received a slight smile in return. They continued walking for a while, discussing and laughing about the bowling and some different events that had occurred recently.

Lucas shivered suddenly. And it wasn't because of the weather. He felt as if they were being watched.

"Lucas?" Brenna asked, noticing he had stopped. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow, but nodded. They caught up with Yuki and Nico, but he couldn't shake that feeling off.

The group continued on for a few blocks, until, finally, Lucas couldn't handle it anymore. He paused and gazed down the alley beside him. Nothing was there. But he could feel something. And Yuki could, too.

The raven-haired man walked up to the blond. "Do you sense something as well?"

"Yes, it feels as if we're being watched, doesn't it?" Lucas replied.

"I see." The shorter one thought more moment. "And I've had quite enough of it, as well."

The duo entered the alley, followed shortly by Nico and Brenna. "Who's here?" Lucas asked, peering around. "We know you've been stalking us for several blocks."

Nothing happened. At first. They tried again. That's when they suddenly heard an evil cackle coming from the shadows. "So, you've finally decided to come and play~?"

Strands of shadows began to crawl out of the dark. The wind suddenly picked up. The shadows wound up in a straight line, then started to form random shapes and blobs until a figure of some sort took shape. It hardened and a tall man wearing an all black suit with pale skin, black hair and a pair of black shades appeared before them. He took off his glasses, revealing pure black eyes.

Lucas stood there, wide-eyed. Nico clung to Brenna. Brenna held onto Nico protectively and was initially shocked, but now glared at the mysterious man. Meanwhile, Yuki stood in a stance, as if he were about to fight the man in black; his expression was unreadable.

"To answer your initial question, Mr. Howe, I have a few different names, but you may call me Erebus."

"Why are you here, bastard?!" Nico hissed through gritted teeth.

"Ah, Mr. Giordano, that temper of your's has hardly changed over the years, has it?" Erebus smirked suddenly. "I was sent here to, uh, _take care_ of your lovely Miss Matthews here. But since you and your companions are here also, my group's work has been cut out for us. Now, I can finish the job that we had to begin with."

He laughed darkly to himself as he said in something in a language that neither of the four could recognize. On command, the shadows surrounding the three Americans and Canadian shoot forth to do his bidding. They braced for whatever was supposed to occur. It never came.

Lucas opened his eyes and looked up. Standing in front of him was a tall man with short, messy blond hair tossed about his head with fair skin. He wore a scarlet button-down shirt with a few of the buttons unbuttoned at the top for a more comfortable fit with a long black jacket that billowed about him with its sleeves rolled up along with a pair of black pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots. Gripped tightly in his hands was an old battle ax, worn from use that he was currently using as a shield to protect the four behind him from the shadows. His sapphire eyes glared at his new-found opponent in black.

The shadows retreated back to the darkness. The man twirled his ax around in his hands, landing on the ground so he held it loosely like a walking stick.*

"Erebus, long time no see," the blond stated monotonously with a hint of disgust. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop hurting people?"

Erebus frowned. "Might I say, it's been a while hasn't, Ari? And it's such a shame that I can't play with you for much longer. You see I'm on quite a tight schedule tonight and I need to finish up here quickly."

"Is that so?" The newly dubbed "Ari" raised an eyebrow. "Well then, let's make this quick shall we?"

"With pleasure," the raven-haired man smirked. He raised his hands and the shadows attacked with blinding speed. They were met with a lovely battle ax.

Ari turned his head to look behind him. "Stay down and stay underneath this light. I'll be sure to make short work of the damn pest."

"O-Okay," Lucas nodded.

Ari turned back and blocked some more shadows. He charged Erebus and swung his weapon. Shadows came up and blocked his attack and returned the favor. He deflected them and dodged others. This kept going on as the blond attempted to injure his enemy. The raven-haired man managed to block a good number of them. But the result wasn't very satisfactory for him.

Within minutes, the man in black was down on the ground, battle ax positioned strategically to deliver the final blow. "You win this time Ari. I admit I have been defeated this time," he hissed, staring into the triumphant face and smirking smile of his opponent. "Good bye."

Erebus's form disappeared back into the shadows. "But, here's one last good bye gift before my departure. You may wish to look behind you for the result. Until we meet again."

Ari's smirk vanished from his face as he whipped around and saw a lethal shadow heading for people he was protecting, aimed at at Brenna. His mind went blank as he did what he had to do.

He instantaneously dropped his beloved ax and ran directly in front of the brunette. White-hot pain spread throughout his entire body as something made contact with his skin. He winced with the sudden amount of pain as his hand shot to what he thought was the source. He felt something set and sticky. Ari's vision became hazy and the last things he saw were a pair of emerald eyes filled with concern and fear and snow that was oddly colored crimson.

* * *

**A/N: And the plot thickens! Sorry, I had to say that. ^_^;;**

**Don't worry! Ari doesn't die! He's just hurt and he'll get better. I promise.**

**Anyways, I would really love to think each and everyone of the people that have been following, favoriting, and reviewing this story so far. It really makes my day to know that people are enjoying this so far.**

**I'm also extremely sorry that I haven't updated this in months! I'm back now, though. And I promise that I will update more often. Hopefully at least once a week or so. I've just been really busy with homework lately, my personal life, and I've been kind of procrastinating a little... Again, I promise I will update more!**

**On a side note, who do you think is Ari's real identity? Any guesses as to who Lucas, Yuki, and Nico are? Brenna's my OC ...but everyone's identity will be revealed in time. Please put your guesses in a review.**

**How was it? I made this one a lot longer than they others usually are. Was it good? Bad? Okay? Horrible? Please leave a review telling me what you think of it. Reviews help keep me motivated to write.**

**Thanks for reading! **

**~AzamiBlossom**


	7. Author's Note

**A/N: Ciao! Um... I'm really sorry that I haven't posted anything in quite a while, especially this story. I've been really busy lately with school for the past week, and then I had to clean my house the week before, and then there was Spring Break...and time got away from me...**

**Romano: She was being lazy for some of the time.**

**I wasn't the whole entire time! I haven't abandoned any of my stories!**

**Romano: Not yet anyway. **

***goes into emo corner* You're so mean to me Lovi...**

**Romano: *scoffs* I am not, dammit! And don't call me that either!**

**Japan: Romano-kun, could you please go apologize to Azami-san. She's been quite busy lately and you and I both know she isn't usually like this.**

**Romano: *sighs* Fine.**

**Japan: Arigato. *waits until Romano goes to speak with me* Anyways, as Azami-san was trying to explain earlier, she has been bit busy lately and hasn't had as much free time as she'd like and has also been procrastinating a bit. I'm sure you all will understand this.**

**Japan: On behalf of Azami-san, *bows somewhat* gomen'nasai. **

**Romano: Chigi! Let go of me, dammit! I said you could give me a simple ****_hug _****if you're that mopy, not one of those damn glomp-hug things!**

**But this is a regular hug, Roma. I don't really glomp people and you know that.**

**Romano: *facepalms* Can you let me go, dammit?!**

**Say please~. And nicely.**

**Romano: *sighs* Will you please let me go?**

***releases grip* There~. And thanks Kiku for explaining for me. **

**Japan: Dō itashimashite. (You're welcome.) **

**On a quick side note before I end this, (I have some homework I need to attend to.) I'm planning on introducing a few more main characters to this story after this upcoming chapter. Thing is, though, I need your help. I'm not exactly sure on who to add. So, I put up a poll on my profile for you guys to do if you want. I'd be a huge help for me and I'd really appreciate it a whole lot!**

**Once again, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated for a while. I owe you all quite a few chapters, don't I? I should have the next chapter up by sometime this weekend, depending on what time allows.**

**You guys are awesome and wonderful~! Thanks you all so much!**

**~AzamiBlossom**


	8. Author's Note (again)

**A/N: Ciao! Hey guys! Again, I'm really, extremely sorry that I haven't updated lately and that I've been gone for a while. **

**You see, I've had a full schedule with school lately and I'm in the middle of taking finals at school, so I've been studying a lot lately. **

**I'm also in the process of moving to a new state and I've been busy packing. For the next few weeks, I won't have any internet excess until mid or late June. Jeez, I really hate doing this to you all. So, sadly, I'll be having to put all my stories on hiatus until then.**

**In the meantime, I absolutely and completely promise to be working on this story and any other ones I plan on writing as well. So, you guys better be prepared to be have a lot of alerts sent your way! I'll be having a lot of chapters coming your way soon!**

**Thanks guys! Thank you so much! Some of you have been following this story for a while and have been really patient in waiting for my updates I'd really love thank you all for that. You are awesome like Prussia, if not more. :3**

**Anyways, before I finish this up, I'd like to ask you all to take a look at the poll I have up on my profile. I'd really like to know who you'd like to see in the story before I begin introducing the remaining three main characters and get deeper into the plot. **

**Thanks you guys!**

**~Azami**


End file.
